Ryan's former boyfriend, Swift, a care assistant from Station Road, Dovercourt, had also denied murdering Mr Beckwith.

Smith, from Canning Street, Harwich, pleaded guilty to manslaughter during the trial but this was not accepted by the prosecution. The jury found him not guilty of murder but convicted him of the manslaughter of Mr Beckwith.

Triston and Enderlein Biddlecombe, from Harwich, who destroyed evidence and provided a false alibi, were jailed for two-and-a-half-years for perverting the course of justice, with a three-month concurrent sentence for assisting an offender.

In a statement, Mr Beckwith's family described him as a "gentle giant" who "would judge no-one and was considerate to all".

He was the main carer for his mother, Iris, who died from a heart attack before the trial of his killers began.